Life
by Mia James
Summary: In order to rescue her sister, a shadow demon is forced into killing the legendary bandit, Youko Kurama.  But she never expected he would flee to the human world, or that they would reunite on a spirit mission of Koenma's.
1. Chapter 1:   Ransom

-1PAST

"Don't touch her, Mori…" Mae warned as she watched the hideous monster dangle her sister, Ruki by one small foot over a pot of boiling blood.

"What would you risk for your sister's life?" Mori boomed pompously, licking his thick lips at the young, determined shadow demon standing defiantly before him.

"More than you're worth!" Mae seethed.

"Your own life? Another's?" the beast continued, as if she hadn't said anything.

"Whose?" Mae demanded.

"A certain bandit by the name of Youko Kurama. I believe you've heard of him, his name is legend in the underworld. No one's ever been able to keep him still long enough to catch him, but I think you can, little minx. Now, kill the demon-thief, and your dear sister will live. You have two weeks, and keep in mind, I'm hungry, so I won't be giving you any extra time," the looming oaf cackled, throwing back his greasy blond mane and revealing a rusting pair of dangerous teeth.

Mae gasped, causing another burst of laughter from the wretch Mori. She glared and nodded, turning her back to leave before she had to hear more of his insidious babbling.

Mae slunk into the demon market with her most sultry smirk. Her hips swished from side to side tantalizingly, and her clothes hugged her small frame like a second skin.

She spotted her target with a band of his thieves, watching her hungrily. Perfect.

She strode past them with enough temptation in her stride to make them all but drool, and waited for his hand to slip into her purse. She smirked when it did, and he grabbed her "money".

When she was a good fifteen feet away, there was a small gasp, and she whirled around, smirking flirtingly as she held a crisp one hundred piece between two fingers. She heard an approving growl, and turned back to her path.

She was well into the forest, still in character, before an expected hand whirled her roughly around, and she faced the golden eyes of Youko Kurama, deepened with lust.

"Come to try and rob me _again_?" she asked mockingly, batting her eyelashes subtly.

"We can play your little game if you want, but we both know what I followed you for," he purred.

"Hmmm…tempting. But I really don't go for the bandit-type…sorry," she made a dainty shrug, ensuring that he would persist.

"Tease," he accused, rightly in this circumstance.

She smirked up at him under her eyelashes, meeting his gaze, and led him to her dwelling. It was a short distance, on the other side of a small, bubbling creek.

She slowly pulled the back door open, revealing a large futon mat covered in patterned silk, her sheets rumpled, her red kimono tossed atop the mess in a beautiful, furious slash of scarlet.

Youko took it in with a satisfied nod before pulling her inside and sliding the door shut.

She pressed a palm to his chest and pushed him down on to the disarrayed sheets.

When the dawn came, the legendary bandit awoke to an empty bed. The woman had vanished.

He sat up with a groan and looked around curiously. She hadn't said goodbye, or cared, it seemed, that a respected thief was loosed in her house.

She had, however, left him a cup of tea and a note. He sniffed it cautiously, and nodded, satisfied. Sipping the steaming liquid, he read the note. It read: _It was all a dream_. She hadn't signed it, and he realized he'd never asked her for her name. He hadn't asked her anything. There was no proper time for discussion.

When he left the house after dressing, he stopped at the creek outside to splash his face with cool water.

All of a sudden, his very veins seemed to ignite. His organs groaned in protest, and his head pounded like a thousand hammers to one nail. Poison. The girl had poisoned his tea, and he hadn't detected it!

"Hmmm…if it isn't Youko Kurama, the _famous_ demon thief. My, my, I didn't expect to find you here. Like this. Tsk, tsk…" a slick voice reprimanded happily.

Youko turned his head up slowly to regard the verbal assaulter. Malaki, the demon-bandit rival he'd acquired over years of thievery, stood before him.

"I would love to stay and watch this forever, but unfortunately, I have a schedule to keep, so I think I'll kill you now," the thief licked his lips eagerly, nearly perspiring with excitement.

"You do, do you?" Youko asked coolly, all but laughing at his attacker's confidence. If he _could _laugh, that is, because his head was sensitive enough to be bothered by the gentle breeze rustling through the firs of the forest.

"You are weak, fox. I am strong now. You will die today," Malaki assured him.

"I think not, weakling," Youko spat scornfully, no longer amused at his offender's arrogance, but annoyed with it.

"Who are you calling 'Weakling' you pathetic excuse for a demon?!" Malaki screeched, lunging forward with his axe and aiming for the heart.

Youko was growing weaker by the moment. Any minute he could collapse, and he wasn't eager to do that just yet. He leapt to the right, avoiding the blade by inches, and landing on his feet agilely. "You really must try harder," he tutted.

"Shut up!" Malaki screamed, jetting forward once again and feinting to the left, pinning Youko to a nearby tree trunk. "You see who's better?! Me!!" he declared to the nearby sparrow, for Youko was already freed, waiting patiently for the cacophony to quit.

"I disagree, Malaki," he grinned impishly, feeling his own energy and intending to conjure up a poisonous plant from the demonic plane.

Unfortunately, the girl's poison seemed to have sapped his powers. For the first time, he felt truly anxious. What if he didn't prevail today? What if she had signed away his death for good?

Malaki frowned for a moment, expecting a blow but receiving none. "Well, then, why don't you prove it?" he challenged, as if he was explaining fighting techniques to a young apprentice instead of a long-time rival.

In an act of desperation, Youko lunged forward and planted a lethal kick on Malaki's skull.

The demon looked taken-aback. "Why will you not fight me?" he demanded, outraged.

"I'm not in the mood for combat today," Youko lied smoothly.

"Well, that's a pity, because you're being faced by an adversary! Combat is necessary, fox!" Malaki replied incredulously. What on earth was the bandit up to?

"I will fight you another day, but not this one," Youko shook his head calmly.

"Yes, you will!" Malaki bellowed, lurching forward and hitting Youko square in the chest with his axe.

Malaki didn't ever realize how fortunate he was that day, for the poison Mae had given Youko had slowed his reflexes, and stemmed his powers. He was useless in battle.

Youko looked disbelievingly at the gaping wound over his heart, and gulped. "This is not nearly the end, Malaki, you mark my words," he rasped. Then, he fled, not back to his band of thieves, but to another plane, one in which he could possess a body.

PRESENT

Kurama was washing some dishes for his mother when his pocket-communicator beeped, and Botan's voice called up to him.

He pulled it out of his trouser pocket and regarded the small screen."Hello, Botan," he greeted.

"Kurama! Glad I caught you, there's been a disturbance in Demon World, and Koenma needs all of your help! Come as soon as you can!" the River Guide implored, her eyes wide.

"Yes, right away," Kurama nodded, quickly snapping shut the compact and abandoning his dishes. "I've just received a call from work, mother! They need me to come in for a bit!" he called up the stairs where his mother was getting ready for her date.

"Okay, Shuichi! Don't be too long!" she called down, smiling sweetly and waving.

"I hope not," he agreed under his breath as he left.

He met the other detectives in Koenma's office thirty minutes later. They seemed just as uninformed as he was.

"What did she say?" Yusuke asked.

"To get down here on the double!" Kuwabara answered obediently.

"I got that, stupid! I meant what did she say about the case?"

"Oh…I don't know…" Kuwabara said, scratching his head.

The towering front doors opened, and the little monarch approached his desk, a grim expression hardening his boyish features. "Okay, gang. This mission is going to be…well…interesting…" he began.

"How so?" Yusuke asked doubtfully.

"A demon is on a rampage throughout Demon World! He's destroying everything, and everyone, in his path! No one's been able to stop him! His name is Kuri, and he's a top-level sucker! Your job is to bring him down, and quickly! We don't have much time," Koenma announced anxiously.

Everyone turned sharply when the double doors opened yet again, and two ogres dragged in a pretty girl with long, sweeping red hair and amber eyes. Tattoos snaked down her arms in intricate washes of color.

"Unhand me. Now," she ordered icily.

"Master Koenma, sir! We found her at the gates saying some impolite things under her breath!" the ogre, George announced dutifully.

"Let her go, you buffoons! I asked her to come!" Koenma ordered.

They released her immediately, ashamed.

"Gang, this is your fifth member for this expedition. Her name is Mae Court, she's a shadow demon," he explained proudly.

She looked up for the first time, smiling shyly at them all.

Kurama's jaw dropped, and his heart pounded. "You!" he snarled.

"Whoa, Kurama! What's up?" Yusuke asked, shocked.

Mae looked at him, puzzled. "Do I know you?" she asked in a raspy voice.

"You were the one who poisoned me and caused me to lose to my nemesis! It was your trickery that forced me to flee to the human world and take this form!" he bristled.

The others watched in rapt fascination as Mae's face went from blank, to horrified. "Y-Youko?" she whispered.

Kurama nodded furiously. "Koenma, you cannot trust her! She tried to kill me!"

"I was forced!" Mae shouted. "The demon Mori threatened to eat my sister if I didn't! I never would have done what I did if it weren't for that!" she cried, tears bubbling up in her eyes. "Oh, god…" she covered her face.

"So you say!" Kurama retorted bitterly.

"I never lied to you, Youko! You never cared to ask!" she shouted.

"Well, I didn't exactly expect to be poisoned after-" he stopped abruptly. Both of their faces flooded with angry crimson.

"After what?" Kuwabara asked.

Kurama looked scornfully to the carpet and shook his head. "Nothing…"

"This is all a big misunderstanding, gang! Now hurry up and settle this, because we don't have much time!" Koenma whined.

"Why did he ask you to come along in this mission?" Yusuke asked.

"Because…Kuri is my son…" Mae replied quietly.

"What?" he strained to hear.

"He's my son!" she cried.

Everyone was quiet for a moment.

"Is he…?" Kurama asked, deadly calm.

Mae paused, then slowly nodded.

The fox demon looked pale.


	2. Chapter 2:  Addicts and Sisters

-1"What's going on here?" Yusuke demanded.

The pair looked up sharply. "What?"

"Why are you so upset, and why do you look so ill?" he pressed.

Koenma sighed. "Kuri is Mae's son…and Kurama's."

The two lowered their heads in regret, while the others gaped, even Hiei.

"You never told me you had a son, Kurama," the fire demon sounded almost amused.

"I never knew," the kisune gritted between his teeth, glowering at the mother of his child.

"I thought you were dead. You were _supposed_ to be dead!" Mae replied defensively. "I didn't expect Kuri, obviously…" she bit her lip.

Kurama's gut seemed to have fallen to the floor. His palms were clammy, and a great sadness filled him. A girl had slept with him in his past as the bandit to lull him into a false sense of security, so she could poison him and save her sister from a monster's clutches, but what she didn't consider was getting pregnant in the process. Somehow though, he couldn't remain terribly upset at her. Upset at the situation, yes, but not at her. She had thought him dead, and as such, hadn't considered telling him. She had raised a baby on her own, and he hadn't turned out well. She must have felt wretched. And it was true, she had never lied to him.

He sighed heavily and nodded. "I understand" he said softly.

"Thank you," she, too, sighed, this time in relief.

"As much as this warms the heart, there's a demon on the loose who could be coming straight to the castle if you five don't hurry up!" Koenma fretted.

They all nodded, dazed, and left in awkward silence.

"So…how old _are_ you?" Yusuke asked, shattering the proverbial ice, if you will.

She surprised them all with a bout of amused laughter. "I am four hundred and twelve, for your information."

Kuwabara's eyes bugged out. "FOUR HUNDRED?!"

"And twelve," Mae agreed with a sniff.

"Geez, you're older than that old biddy, Genkai," Yusuke whistled.

"Well, I _am_ a demon, remember?"

"Still…" Yusuke shuddered.

"I'm younger than two in your party," Mae said, intrigued by the boy's repulsion to a number.

The two demons looked as innocent as possible.

"No way! You two are older than her?!" Yusuke demanded, tripping over a rock in his surprise and nearly falling flat on his face.

They both nodded.

"I never-" he began, but stopped immediately and perked up as a nearby bush rustled.

"Who's there?" Kuwabara demanded, his eyes wild.

"I am the demon Asuka," a low, seductive voice purred, "Prepare to die."

The five exchanged disbelieving glances.

"Asuka, is it?" Mae asked, her voice dripping with amusement.

"Yes, Mae. Be afraid," the voice in the bushes replied.

"Hmmm…the last I checked, you were offering very improper services to lower-level demons for the demonic plant, Syycum," Mae smiled briskly.

"Quiet, you inferior slime!" Asuka screeched.

"Why?"

"Because I said so!" the bush seethed.

"That's not reason enough." Mae shook her head scoldingly. It reminded Kurama of the voice his mother used to use on him when he was an unruly tot, and he wondered if Mae had used it on her son. Their son. It still shook him to think that.

"You wretch!!" Asuka cried, springing out of the bush and making a bee line for the four-hundred-and-twelve-year-old. Her hair was stringy and falling off in patches, and the bags under her eyes took up half of her wan face. Her waxy skin was stretched into a hideous sneer.

Mae stood calmly, waiting.

At the opportune moment, when Asuka was mere inches away, Mae hunched her shoulders and vanished with a crack.

She reappeared almost instantly, still hunched, across the clearing, a teasing grin on her delicate face. "You are a tad too presumptuous, if you don't mind me saying so."

Asuka yelled something unintelligible in her fury, and dove yet again at the shadow demon.

Mae frowned disapprovingly and spread her palms wide like blooming flowers. Two vapor-like wisps of shadow appeared in her hands, which she shaped into daggers and flung at the charging thunder demon.

They hit, one in the heart, one between the eyes, and Asuka fell to the forest floor with a soft thud.

The detectives blinked once, twice, in amazement.

"T-that was flippin' awesome!" Kuwabara exclaimed, a tad nervous at their new ally's strength.

Mae pressed out a pleat in her cotton skirt and smiled humbly. "Why, thank you, Kuwabara."

He blushed.

"Well, shall we press on?" Mae asked briskly.

"Uh…yeah…press…on…" Yusuke nodded, sharing his comrade's fright.

"Are you alright, Yusuke?" she asked, coming closer and frowning in concern.

"Yep!" he perked up, blushing as well.

"You look a little feverish…" Mae persisted, feeling his forehead. "Hmmm…maybe not," she shrugged.

"How did you know her?" Hiei asked.

"What?"

"The demon, Asuka. She called you by your name. How did you know her?" he repeated.

"She used to be my roommate when I was in my two-hundreds. I moved out right before she really got into demonic drugs, but I've seen her at markets from time to time," Mae said, with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Hn." was his reply.

They continued on, climbing and slicing through the thick foliage at their own pace.

For the second time that day, something pounced at them, this time from the vines hanging overhead.

"Weeaaahhh!" a pitchy voice caterwauled as a deep violet demon swung through the trees in their direction. "Ooohh, pretty girlies, pretty girlies!" it bounced happily, dropping to the grassy floor noiselessly.

It was a tall demon, leanly muscled and white of hair. His skin was deep purple with zebra-like markings. He was staring his white eyes at Mae possessively. "Yummmm."

Mae glared and took a cautious step back. "I'm not a dog biscuit, now go!" she called over the distance.

The demon remained ignorant, and proceeded forward.

"He said 'girlies'. There is only one, isn't there?" Kurama said suspiciously.

"Actually, no. There are two," a feminine voice answered behind him.

He whirled around quickly, and met a tall, gangling girl with short ice-blond hair chopped in an edgy bob. Her face was geisha-like, but masked slightly by the multiple piercing in her nose, eyebrows, ears, and navel. She smiled spritely at them and walked up beside Mae.

The shadow demon gasped and threw her thin arms around the girls shoulders. "Sister!"

The girl returned the embrace and squeezed her eyes shut. "Mae! I'm glad I finally caught you five. I've been tracking you all day!"

"Why?" Mae asked with a puzzled blink.

"Because I want to help," Ruki explained warmly.

"You are most welcome to join us," Mae nodded eagerly.

"I thought so," Ruki laughed.

Meanwhile, the purple demon had been drawing closer, and closer, until all that was left between he and the girls was a foot. As silent as a dove, he reached out and grasped them both by the arms. "All miiiiinnnnee," he cooed, flinging them up in the air and scrambling up the nearest vine to his nest.

Both girls sat, shocked, in a bed of straw and spider webs. "W-where are we?" Ruki asked.

Mae leaned her head over the side and peered over. And gulped. It was a good seventy feet to the ground. She could barely make out the tops of her teammates' heads.

"Well?" Ruki pressed impatiently.

"We're up in a tree," Mae said distantly.

"A tree?!" her sister gawped.

"That's what I said," Mae nodded.

"Why???" Ruki buried her head in her hands and groaned. "This is stupid!"

"I agree. But we should wait for him to come up to tag him. I don't know if I can hold you in my shadow for that long if we tried to escape. Not unless we were on the ground.

Ruki nodded mutely.

In three minutes, the purple demon reared his white-crowned head over the edge of the nest, and smiled at both of them.

They glared.

"Pretty girlies, pretty girlies, all mine," he sang, lost in his own world.

"Not on your life," Ruki shook her head roughly.

"Pretty girlies, pretty girlies, all mine," he repeated, unaware of her retort.

Mae sent her sister a look saying 'get ready for take off' and struck. She didn't estimate him to be much of anything in a fight, and sent a wicked punch at his cheek.

He stumbled back, then looked up, his face angry. "Bad girlies! Mine!" he bellowed indignantly.

"Give up!" Mae ordered, summoning her shadow-daggers and slicing him across the ribs.

"Mine!!!" he screeched, lunging forward and pulling her against his chest, bloodying her shirt.

"No!" she argued, plunging her blade into his throat and dragging downward.

He choked and released her, backing away in a cacophony of furious wails. He backed up enough to fall out of his nest with a surprised squawk. A splat was audible in the silence a few moments later. Then nothing.

"Come on, Ruki," she called over her shoulder.

"Mae!" her sister gasped.

She whirled around to see her sister suspended in the air by a demon with grand, blue-black wings and matching skin. He held a glinting blade to her throat menacingly.


	3. Chapter 3:  A woman scorned

-1The Raven Demon poised the knife blade oh-so-carefully at Ruki's neck, grinning like the Devil himself at her snarling sister.

"Let her go!" she demanded, planting her feet as firmly as she was able in the pliable straw.

"Hmmm…no," he said with a smile, his voice rich, and deep.

"What do you want with her?"

"You of all people can guess, Mae," his eyes darkened slightly in suggestive nostalgia.

"That was in the past!" Mae defended bitterly, wishing she'd never met him.

"It was wonderful," he purred.

"I don't feel that way about you anymore, now hand her over!" Mae persisted impatiently.

"You hurt my feelings, Mae," he continued with mock-heartache, "I loved you."

"I could tell when I saw you buying that whore a drink in the bar!" Mae barked.

"She looked thirsty, and I couldn't let that happen," he grinned wickedly.

"She wasn't thirsty for Jack Daniels, and neither were you," she retorted scornfully.

"Well, I find myself 'thirsty' again, and I always remember you when I get 'thirsty', Mae," he said slickly.

"Too bad!" Mae threw up her hands in annoyance.

She whirled back around to face him and demanded, "Are you just doing this to get your revenge on me? Even though it was you who betrayed me in the first place?"

"Now, now, don't go getting all high and mighty, my little vixen. As I recall, you had a romp with Youko Kurama shortly after that…I think we're even, love."

She hated how he called her that. She hated _him_. "We'll never be even, and I don't have to explain myself to you, jerk!"

"That temper of yours always flares at the worst times," he shook his head regretfully.

"Why don't you-?" Mae spat, but was cut off by a black blur whizzing past her at breakneck speeds.

Raven hadn't noticed. "Why don't I what, sweetling?" he asked patronizingly.

Before she could tell him what she thought he should do, he grunted and fell in a heap out of the nest in two pieces. His blood flecked her cheek.

Hiei stood behind Ruki, supporting her before she fell over the side like her captor had. "Are you alright?" he asked out of obligation.

Ruki looked down at him from her tall height. "Yes, thank you…?"

"Hiei," he replied after brief hesitation.

"Thank you, Hiei," she repeated, smiling warmly.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Mae cut in. "I know how I can, but I don't know about you two…"

Hiei sighed and hefted Ruki into his arms like Princes in storybooks, before vanishing completely.

Mae heard Ruki's startled scream, and recalled her loathing of roller-coasters. She chuckled, hunched her shoulders, and reappeared on the forest floor laughing hysterically.

The group looked at her questioningly.

"What's so funny?" Kuwabara asked.

"Nothing," she cackled as she glimpsed her nearby sibling's petrified, shaking expression. Her hands were trembling, and her face was as pale as her hair.

"Shut up, Mae," Ruki warned feebly.

Hiei raised his eyebrows at her curiously, shrugged, and went to stand next to the rest of the guys, who found it all very disconcerting. One sister laughing, the other horrified.

"She'll be fine, don't worry," Mae reassured them, pulling Ruki's arm around her shoulders and supporting her as they carried on.

That night at the campfire, exhausted after a day of walking and combat, the team retired to bed early.

Ruki and Mae, on the other hand, had a lot to catch up on, and huddled around the campfire well past sunset.

"Where have you been, Ruki?" Mae asked soberly.

Her sister hesitated, and looked uneasy.

"Ruki! Where?" Mae persisted.

She sighed. "Alright, alright. I've been in the human world."

"Doing what?"

"Looking for you!"

"Why would I be in the human world?" Mae asked, puzzled.

"Well, after the life you've led…where demons are concerned, you haven't had the best luck. I just thought you might be sick of it," Ruki shrugged.

"I _am_ a demon. _You're_ a demon. Not all of us are bad," Mae shook her head.

"Well, after Kuri was born, you seemed empty…" Ruki approached the subject gently.

"I was worried about my missing sister, unsure if she'd been captured again, and I felt guilty about killing someone, or so I thought, and using myself that way. And I was upset that my boyfriend was cheating on me, and that I'd done the same, even though I had to. But I never blamed you, Ruki, so if you went to the human world to avoid me, you shouldn't bother. You're my sister," Mae smiled weakly, painful images floating across her memory.

Ruki frowned, puzzled. "What do you mean, 'or so I thought?'"

Mae sighed. "I didn't kill Youko. The poison wasn't strong enough to do him in, I guess, and he fled to the human world to take on a body there," Mae whispered, aware of the sleeping fox nearby.

"Why are you being so quiet?" Ruki asked, then gasped, "Ooooh, is he here?!"

Mae winced and nodded. "Kurama," she looked to the blanket-covered lump that was his shoulder.

Ruki's eyes widened considerably. "Isn't that…awkward?"

"You have no idea…but I think he's forgiven me. Sort of."

"You didn't do anything _he_ wouldn't have. You did it to save me. It's my fault," her very ears seemed to droop in shame.

Mae shook her head and pulled her sister close. "You never did anything wrong either."

They both cried in silence for what seemed like hours until they fell asleep, finally able to vanquish their own demons.

The group woke early, and made a hasty fire to cook on.

Ruki was in charge. "Mae, go get me some stones to put under the kettle," she pointed her spatula in the right direction. Then she turned to Kurama. "You go get some water." she faced Yusuke and Kuwabara, "You two get to peeling this fruit," she pointed to a sac of mangoes, "And Hiei," she turned to him, then paused awkwardly, "um…get some more firewood…"

They all set to work, two peeling fruit under the sharp eye of the chef, and three setting off into the forest to find wood, stones, and water.

The silence was thick enough to slice with a knife in the forest, under the canopy of tickling leaves and whispering branches.

"There's a stream over there!" Mae announced, standing on tiptoe and shielding her eyes from the filtering sunshine to point to a creek.

As they neared, the creek became increasingly, sickeningly familiar.

_The_ creek. In front of _the_ house.

Kurama flushed scarlet, but couldn't seem to move towards the water. His eyes flooded with memories of that night, and he couldn't look at Mae. He chose a small clump of grass near his feet instead.

Hiei, detecting the tension between the two, slipped away unnoticed, deciding to search another part of the forest for firewood.

"Well, I…" Mae attempted awkwardly.

"What color are his eyes?" Kurama asked suddenly, still looking to the floor.

"Kuri's?" Mae asked quietly.

He nodded, the wind blowing his hair in front of his face.

"Golden," Mae answered shakily.

"And his hair?"

"Strawberry blond."

Kurama turned to her, meeting her eyes at last. "Were you alone when he came?"

She frowned at his question, and nodded. "I didn't want anyone else there…I was too ashamed."

"I'm sorry," he said distantly, a pang in his chest marking his guilt.

"Don't be," she gave a watery chuckle, "I'm the one who poisoned you, remember?"

He smiled.


	4. Chapter 4:  fresh starts and dragons

-1They returned ten minutes later, arms full of stones and water in a pot. Hiei had already arrived with a heap of firewood, and was sitting, seemingly perplexed, watching Ruki order Yusuke and Kuwabara around bossily. The fire demon was nearly smiling. Nearly.

"No, Yusuke. The goal is to have more fruit than peel when you're done, not the other way around!" she chastised.

The two boys were cowering, nodding, and for the most part, following instructions without complaint.

"Man, if she weren't so pretty, I wouldn't put up with this crap," Kuwabara whispered to Yusuke, who was in absolute agreement.

"What was that?" Ruki snapped, pointing her spatula at them. Ne'er before had the pair considered a spatula a weapon, but suddenly, the utensil seemed terrifying, and they ducked their heads obediently to get back to work. "That's what I thought," she nodded, satisfied.

Hiei grinned evilly at Kuwabara, who all but strangled the fire demon. Or he would if Ruki wouldn't kill him.

"Well, since you're so bored, Hiei, why don't you help them peel mangoes? You sliced that demon in half pretty well," Ruki suggested.

For reasons inexplicable to the rest of the party, he nodded and took up a plump mango, peeling it in one go with his katana and depositing the curled skin in a large pile of clumsy ones from the two boys.

"See? Do it like that, guys," Ruki nodded encouragingly, turning to her water and stones.

There was a great deal of grumbling after that from the peanut gallery, and a lot of chest-puffing from a certain fire-demon.

Ruki set to work boiling the water and brewing tea, then adding rice to the large pot and mixing in bananas and mango slices (courtesy of Hiei, who had finished the rest of the fruit-chopping before Yusuke and Kuwabara had completed their first).

Breakfast was served, and they all ate the delicious meal like a pack of hungry wolves. Yusuke and Kuwabara in particular, but that was nothing new.

"Thanks for breakfast," Mae whispered to her sister as she packed her newly-cleaned dishes in her knapsack.

"It was fun," Ruki laughed, enjoying the bossing around bit. Their mother used to tease Ruki about being a dictator in another life, and strangely enough, no one doubted her.

"I imagine," Mae nodded before casting a wary glance about the camp site and finding it satisfactorily empty. Then she plunged into the tale about earlier at the creek.

When she had finished recounting the morning's events, Ruki looked lost for words. "This is so sad…" she shook her head mournfully.

"Maybe it's better this way. He never knew Kuri, so it won't be so hard for him to kill him. Me, on the other hand; I'm a different story," Mae said morosely.

"I know," Ruki sighed sympathetically.

"I still remember the three a.m. feedings, and his first steps, and his first word-"

"What was it?"

"What do you think?" Mae asked wryly.

"Mama?" Ruki guessed with an 'awwwwww'.

Mae nodded somberly.

"Maybe there's another way?"

"No…when he left home, he told me this would happen. He said that one day people would listen to him, and he would be the one to know better. He said he was going to make a statement."

"Why did he leave so young?" Ruki asked, her voice a mere whisper.

"We had an argument about what he wanted to do in his life," Mae said with a sigh.

"Which was…?"

Mae chuckled bitterly. "The kid wanted to become a thief like his daddy."

Both sisters chuckled for a moment, but it was empty humor.

The troupe set out as soon as their camp area was traceless.

For some reason, an electric sense of foreboding hung in the air as they continued on, and they huddled close. The very trees seemed to whisper to one another, catcalling at them through creaks and groans of their dying branches. Leaves fell spitefully upon their heads, and no flowers bloomed.

Kurama in particular was on edge. He sensed something in the plants, something dangerous. "I think haste would only do us good at the moment," he hinted anxiously to the group, who actively agreed.

Their pace quickened to a trot, then to a lope, and finally, to an all-out sprint. Still, it felt as if the trees were squeezing the path smaller and smaller. Claustrophobia was not something to be found wanting in this part of the forest.

"What sort of place is this?" Ruki demanded shrilly as a tree root crawled out onto the trail to trip her. She cried out softly, but was caught mid-fall by Hiei.

He glared up at her. "Be more careful, idiot," he warned mildly.

Mae couldn't swear it, but that 'idiot' sounded almost affectionate. Like a term of endearment.

Ruki seemed to think so, too, because she blushed and nodded. "Y-yeah. I will…" she stammered.

He nodded and turned back to escaping the wood.

A ferocious gust of flame seared down the path, and they were abruptly halted by a thick-bodied dragon with red, gleaming scales.

It slithered forward on the small path, it's massive bulk overbearing. "You cannot pass, usurpers," it said, it's voice rich and ancient.

"Why not?" Kuwabara asked defiantly.

The dragon's eyes bulged, and it lunged forward until it was mere inches from the boy's nose. "Because you are not welcome!" it bellowed, it's voice deepening into that of sci-fi dreams.

"Please, we must pass," Kurama said calmly.

"What business do you have in these parts?" the dragon asked suspiciously, turning to regard the fox demon.

"We have come to find the demon, Kuri," Kurama replied, unruffled at the ominous presence.

"Why?" it asked quizzically.

"To kill him," Kurama said, his eyes growing slightly cold. Mae felt winded for an instant, and unconsciously drew nearer.

The dragon withdrew his enormous head and looked approvingly down at them. "I, too, have a score to settle with the whelp. Come," he led them forward, his tail slithering like a thousand streamers behind him.

They hesitantly followed him to a clearing, away from the crowding shrubs, to sit around a flickering fire he lit with his breath.

He curled his tail behind him and took a deep, smoky breath through his massive nostrils before delving into his tale. "Several weeks ago, a demon trespassed through my forest. He was young and eager, and there was such determination in his eyes, I decided to let him pass unhindered. His name, he told me, was Kuri, and he was traveling west to follow in the footsteps of his father. I thought this noble, and encouraged him, leading him out of my forest and granting him one gift for his journey,"

"And what was that?" Mae asked, enrapt like a child listening to her first nursery rhyme.

"The golden spyglass. It guides the user to whomever he seeks. Including enemies," the dragon gave them a stern look that only comes with wisdom, "be on your guard, little ones. He will find you first.

They retold the reasons they had for killing the runaway, and the dragon listened, nodding his ancient head thoughtfully.

"You have gained my trust, kin of Kuri. Follow the pathway that always turns left, and you will find the right way out," he boomed, fizzling into thin air like evening mist.

They waited until he had completely gone before finding the path he spoke of and following it into the next dawn.

They rested outside the forest in a large meadow beside a lake.

Ruki and Mae laid out their mats side-by-side and went to undress behind a large oak tree.

"I sense something odd about this place. I don't think we should stay here," Ruki warned.

"I feel it, too. It reminds me of the legend mother told us when we were young; about the woman in the water?" Mae agreed.

"We should tell the guys," Ruki nodded frightfully.

They dressed in their nightclothes quickly and hurried out to the newly-lit fire in bare feet.

"Boys, we have something you might like to hear!" Mae called, beckoning them all nearer.

"What is it?" Kurama asked, concerned.

"We think we recognize this place," Ruki said, flustered.

"From where?" Hiei asked.

"…A childhood story?" she replied, realizing how petty this must sound.

The boys regarded the pair skeptically.

"Just listen. There's an odd energy here, I'm sure you must have felt it?" Mae asked sternly.

Five heads nodded.

"When we were young, our mother used to tell us a story about the woman in the water. She had loved a sailor named Tenji, but he had a wife and children, and could not stay with the water maiden. She mourned him every day until she finally drove herself mad and drowned herself in the village lake. They say she preys on young lovers and passerby every night at sundown. We can't stay here."

"But, it's just dawn. We have hours before sundown. Even if this water maiden exists, we'll leave before she even appears," Hiei argued, tired and grumpy.

"I would rather not take a chance…" Mae bit her lip uncertainly, her hair tangled about her face in the breeze.

Kurama recognized the worry in her amber eyes, and frowned. This could be serious. The question of why he even cared hit him like a brick, all but knocking the wind right out of him. "We should keep moving," he agreed.

"I'm tired," Kuwabara whined.

"Yeah. Me, too. Look, let's just crash here for a few hours, it'll be fine. And if you girls are so worried about it, why don't one of us sleep with you?" Yusuke asked, unaware of what he had just suggested until he was slapped hard. Twice.

"I meant sleep next to you! God!" he corrected quickly, massaging his cheeks.

"Good!" Ruki snapped, red in the face.

"I was gonna volunteer, but I just changed my mind…" Kuwabara muttered, casting a wary glance at Yusuke's two hand-marked cheeks.

"You decide," Hiei challenged, nodding to the girls, both of which blinked and looked around.

"We didn't even decide on this arrangement. Yusuke should pick," Mae said with a wicked smile.

The boy looked pale, and Hiei looked disappointed.

"Fine," Yusuke said evilly after a brief pause, "You seemed pretty comfortable sleeping with-um, sorry, I mean next to-Kurama, Mae, so why doesn't he do it?" he grinned from ear to ear.

The previous sheet-tanglers blushed and glowered at the detective. Together, they were quite a formidable team, and Yusuke knew better than to piss them off any further.

"Or not…whatever…" he laughed weakly.

"Do you mind?" Kurama asked Mae quietly enough that none other would overhear.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

He laughed breathily and nodded as well, thinking this was all ridiculous.

Her sister all but 'awwwwwww-ed'. She just barely contained herself. The vowel seemed determined to burst from her mouth. Or it could have been the breath she was holding in.

The observing fire demon wondered what on earth was wrong with the Ruki's face. It seemed to be purple, and her eyes were dreamy and distant. Her hands seemed to rise unconsciously to her shoulder.

He raised his eyebrows when she sighed happily. How…odd. Then he realized he was staring and quickly averted his gaze, for the first time noticing Kuwabara and Yusuke staring at him and whispering. Their grins were enough to tell him about what.

He glared at them and flitted off to a nearby tree.

And abruptly stopped upon hearing a small voice calling, "Goodnight, Hiei!" He turned disbelievingly to spot Ruki waving at him with a small smile. He gawked at her for a moment, ordering his heart not to do whatever it thought it was doing, before sending her a telepathic smile and darting up the tree.

She gasped slightly, unsuspecting, then grinned. "Wow…" she breathed.

Kurama and Mae blinked up at her, perplexed.

He shook his head slightly. "Try as I might, she is still a mystery to me…"

Mae nodded knowingly. "I've known her all my life, and I've given up trying to figure her out." She grinned despite herself.

"Well that makes me feel slightly better," Kurama returned the secret smile.

Meanwhile, Yusuke and Kuwabara silently observed all of the goings-on between the four demons with a kind of awe that children experience upon entering their first candy shop.

"Something's happenin' here, and it's makin' me queasy…" Kuwabara shuddered.

"I'm with ya', man," Yusuke nodded, casting a shifty glance to the two redheads.


	5. Chapter 5:  Water maidens and song

-1I just realized I haven't put a disclaimer in front of any of my first four chapters, so I'm doing it now; Like a quadruple whammy**: I do not own YYH, or the characters within**, and shame on you for thinking I do! I'm not gifted like that! Hello!

Oh, and review! I need feedback, people! I'm starving here!

Mae and Ruki splayed out a sheet they'd brought and fluffed the grass beneath it to make a comfy bed for the afternoon.

"Well, goodnight, guys!" Ruki yawned.

"You mean good afternoon," Kurama smirked kindly.

"Right!" Ruki laughed.

Mae nearly frowned. Not out of jealousy, but out of the realization that she was jealous, and the ponderings of what that meant. She shouldn't even consider falling for the fox. He, by rights, should loathe her, not love her. And he had even been so good as to forgive her. Anything more would be too much to ask for.

She sighed and looked down to her wriggling toes rather than up into his emerald eyes.

"Mae? It's time to go to sleep," Ruki poked her shoulder lightly, knowing all too well what her sister was thinking, and putting an end to it like any hopeless romantic chaperone would.

"I'm coming," Mae nodded distantly. In somewhat of a thoughtful trance, she sand to her knees and stretched out on her stomach on the sheet, pillowing her head with her folded arms.

She felt the sheet tug softly as someone lay down beside her. She caught his scent, and was taken back seventeen years, the last time she'd been in this position. She didn't realize the tears that slid down her face until a warm hand rested gently on her shoulder and drew her closer.

"We've both made mistakes," his breath ghosted across her neck, giving her goosebumps.

She remained silent, unable to think of anything to say, and not feeling pressed to. They fell asleep that way; snuggled close, his arm draped over her waist, her head tilting back to press into his chest.

Mae was jostled awake by something shifting beside her. She squinted her eyes open, and found Kurama rising into a protective crouch over her. "What is it?" she croaked sleepily struggling to focus.

"Stay still, Mae," he warned in an eerily hushed voice. No one else stirred, all of them still slumbering. Not even the flap of bird's wings cut through the silence, or rustling leaves in the forest. Deadly calm.

Something at the shoreline splashed, shattering the unbreakable stillness.

They both looked up sharply, fully alert now, and saw a woman walking shakily out of the water, her lips blue, her hair tangled and dripping, clinging to her glistening, corpse-pale cheeks. Her eyes were black pits, and her teeth were stained with ebony.

Mae began to tremble and quake. "Kurama, it's her! The water maiden!" she whispered feverishly.

He clenched his jaw and frowned. "What else do you know about her?" he asked urgently.

"All I know is that she lost her lover to his family, and that she seeks revenge on those who've found happiness," Mae answered quickly, wracking her brains for anything that could be of use.

"She's already dead. How do we kill her again?" Kurama asked in exasperation.

"I'll wake the others," Mae said, scrambling to her feet and shaking as many shoulders (or in one case, trees) as she could until all were alert. Enough, anyways.

"Wha's goin' on?" Ruki asked, stretching her arms out and sighing.

"The water maiden's here. And she's getting closer," Mae said bracingly. At her sister's expression, she continued solemnly, "This is no joke, Ruki, get up!"

Her sister's eyes popped open, and she shrieked bloody murder.

In an instant, Hiei was out of his tree, staring wildly around for the attacker. His eyes widened considerably when he saw her shuffling unsteadily towards them. "The…water maiden?" he asked disbelievingly.

Ruki nodded and gulped like a nervous child.

He moved in front of her, and sent thrills through her stomach. She normally would have minded such possessiveness, but not this afternoon!

He turned his head to stare at her. "Are you going to help, fool, or am I going to have to do all the work?"

That got Yusuke and Kuwabara's attention. They sprung up at once and began staring hungrily about.

Ruki blinked at them, then stood on the other side of Hiei. "What do you think is wrong with them?" she asked him in a low voice.

"Everything," he replied with a wicked smirk.

She chuckled in accord.

The grass rasped under the water maiden's slow descent, and Ruki's smile faded.

"Relax. We have more than enough strength to take her," Hiei ordered.

Ruki sighed and shook her head, puzzling the fire demon even more. There were no answers with this one…

"Youuuu willlll sufferrrrr…." the maiden sang, raising a shaking finger to the group.

Mae's heart pounded, and her mother's voice kept coming back to her, 'and they were never seen again…', 'lost forever in a sea of agony…'. It was not a welcome nostalgia.

Kurama picked up on Mae's worry, and summoned his Rose Whip.

Hiei unsheathed his katana and got into fighting stance, acting on cue.

Yusuke pointed his finger and aimed.

Kuwabara drew his Spirit Sword in a spear shape.

Mae hunched her shoulders and took in a deep breath.

Ruki spread her hands and looked to the sky, her eyes gleaming and pearlescent. Chanting softly under her breath, her body began to sway to the strange rhythm, and beams of light emitted from her irises. Her pale skin began to glow golden, and her short hair whipped around her face as she evenly levitated a good three feet in the air.

The water maiden shielded her eyes with a shrill, reproachful wail.

Ruki opened her mouth into a perfect 'o' and began to fill the clearing with the saddest, most morose music they'd ever heard.

They all sank to their knees with the weight of her mournful notes, and the water maiden slowly walked backwards into the water, shedding black tears that streaked her face like ink.

When she was totally immersed in the water, Ruki slowly lowered back down to the grass, and closed her mouth, blinking twice to clear her vision.

Everyone regained their feet, mystified.

"How'd ya do that?!" Kuwabara asked incredulously.

"I can feel people's emotions. I just channel them through my voice strongly enough to repel them," Ruki explained gladly.

"So you basically scare people off with their own darkness?" Hiei asked, impressed, but doing his best to mask it with disdain.

"Basically, yes," she agreed with a nod and a smile that made him feel like a jerk.

He looked away to hide the rosy stain on his cheeks.

"We should go," Mae said, her voice shaking nearly as much as the rest of her.

"You're in your nightgown, and you're not wearing any shoes," Kurama reminded her.

She looked down, surprised, and nodded. "Ruki, come with me," she ordered, scooping up a clean pair of clothes and leading her sister behind the large oak tree.

They changed quickly, both distracted, until finally, Mae pinned her sister down with the one question Ruki didn't know the answer to: "What's going on between you and Hiei?"

Ruki's cheeks flooded with color. "Nothing!" she hissed.

Mae raised one eyebrow and gave her the 'oh, yeah right' look.

"Oh, alright! I think he's hot stuff, okay?" Ruki surrendered, shifting uncomfortably under her sister's dissecting gaze.

Mae smiled victoriously. "I knew it!"

"Hush! They'll hear you!" Ruki snapped pleadingly.

"Oh, like they'll be listening to us getting dressed, Ruki," Mae rolled her eyes.

"I know you don't want me to ask about you and Kurama this morning," Ruki threatened.

"No. I don't," Mae returned the challenge.

After a moment's glaring contest, they both desisted with a mutual sigh. "Truce," they both announced.

They emerged from behind the oak tree and hurried to help the lads pack up the campsite. The sheet was folded, the fire distinguished, the crumbs swept away in the wind.

They set off again with newfound wariness, not only about what was yet to come, but about some of the new developments emerging in their own group. Things were getting interesting…


	6. Chapter 6: tea parties & dreams

-1Hey, c'est moi! I'm on a major writing streak, so if you have any suggestions, etc., make them snappy, or they may not get to me in time! And I don't own YYH, so don't get too excited.

As the team made their progress through the meadow and over the hills beyond, Kuwabara's stomach growled; well, roared, actually. Very loudly.

Ruki suppressed a giggle, and Mae smiled.

"Geez, Kuwabara! We just ate a few hours ago!" Yusuke exclaimed, rather proudly.

He shrugged and smiled meekly. "I eat a lot."

"Shall we stop for the night?" Mae suggested, driven by her aching feet to take action.

"I think that's a good idea," Kurama nodded, dropping his pack atop a nearby rock.

"Great!" Ruki said, plopping immediately down on a nearby stump, exhausted.

Hiei didn't say a word, but his expression was enough. It was obvious he appreciated the small rest. They had covered forty miles in one day; no easy feat for anyone, demon or no.

They prepared a quick meal of stir-fried vegetables and rice, and ate greedily.

Afterwards, the sheets were laid out, as they had been every other night they had slept, and the girls found a thick tree to disrobe behind.

"Oh, my god, I thought we would _never_ stop!" Mae sighed, rubbing her heels.

"I know! My feet are killing me!" Ruki agreed, hopping from side to side weakly and smoothing her soles.

"Stop your yapping!" an old, withered voice demanded in front of them.

They both started and turned in the direction of the noise.

The tree was talking to them. An old woman's face scowled at them, bark-covered and grooved with age.

Neither sibling could speak.

"Thank you," the tree lady replied with a superior nod.

"I-I…is that tree talking to us?" Ruki stuttered.

"Yes, I believe it is," Mae nodded faintly.

"Well, of course I am, you nitwits!" the tree barked at them grumpily.

The girls glared at her indignantly.

"My, my. Have I upset the earth crawlers?" the tree said wryly.

"Is everything alright?" Kurama's voice drifted over to them softly.

They both looked at each other, then yelled, "NO!"

There was a great rustling, then four boys emerged cautiously, the bravest, Kurama (whom had been shoved in front because 'he'd seen Mae naked already', as Yusuke had pointed out), the first to peer around the tree.

His eyes widened. "Are you talking to a _tree_?"

"It's not like we planned on it!" Mae replied defensively, "She yelled at us!"

"Okay…" Kurama frowned, trying to stem the amusement tainting his concerned front, and failing.

Hiei had overheard all of this, and decided to end it then. Talking trees were right up there with Kuwabara on his annoying list. He had slept in a few loudmouth branches before, and it was not something to be enjoyed. Trees were generally bad-tempered and rude. "Old woman, quit bothering these two, lest we rob you of your sap and make it into candles," he said the official words.

The old lady tree turned her eyes to him slowly with a glum expression. "No one's ever threatened me before…I don't much care for it, to tell you the truth, so I think I'll CONTINUE YELLING AT THESE GIRLS!" she hollered wickedly.

"Don't press me, hag," Hiei warned, drawing his katana, "I've dealt with your kind before."

"Oooooh, the big, scary man has a knife!" the tree lady bit sarcastically, rustling her leaves in mock-horror.

Hiei growled and raised his blade high, having had enough of this foolishness. He, the wielder of the Jagan, did NOT spend his days negotiating with bothersome plant life.

As he lowered the blade, aiming for a nearby branch, a hand halted his progress. It wasn't rough or strong comparatively, but it was enough to make him stop midair.

Ruki stood before him, her hand wrapped around his wrist, her eyes pleading and frightened.

"What is it?" he asked, bewildered.

She bit her lip. "She's hurt…" she pointed one thin finger at the roots coming out of the earth. They were sliced by a slight blade in a deliberate pattern, and sap was oozing from the wounds, thick and syrupy.

"So…?" he asked, befuddled to the n-th degree.

"_So_, it's cruel," she said, her voice firmer, along with her grip on his wrist. He was surprised at her strength enough to lower his sword.

"You make no sense," he offered, sheathing his blade.

"You should know that by now," Ruki said quietly.

"As much fun as this is," the tree woman cut in briskly, "I really would rather be talking to my friend Haka over there," she pointed one twig across the clearing to where another tree waved a branch with a toothless grin.

The team slowly backed away, smiling in spite of themselves.

"I never expected to interrupt a tree tea party during my life…" Mae sighed with a chuckle.

There was a great deal of relating laughter.

Something growled at them abruptly, low to the ground.

They all looked down to see a rock, the very same one that Kurama had laid his pack by, blinking slowly up at them. "Why have you thrown your bag at my head?" it asked in tortoise-like speed.

Kurama blinked. "I'm sorry…I didn't know someone was there," he quickly bent and swung his pack over his shoulder.

"'S okay. Happens all the time," the rock smacked his lips drowsily, and closed it's stony eyes, snoring softly.

Ruki was trying to be quiet, so as not to wake the upset rock, and clapped a hand over her mouth to prevent a bout of very inconvenient giggles from escaping.

"It's not funny! You sat on my head!" the stump she had collapsed on earlier whined resentfully.

That shut her up.

"What _is _this place?" Yusuke asked to no one in particular.

"Beats me."

"No clue."

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Well that helps," he muttered wryly.

"You're in the Hills of Humanity. Everything here is alive, usually ex-cons from the underworld who resist prison sentence." the stump answered dully, clearly still upset.

"See? There you go, Yusuke," Mae said with a smile.

He grimaced. "Who're you, my mother?"

"I don't know, shall I kill you just to be on the safe side?" she asked with a smile.

His eyes bulged, and he waved his hands in front of his face hurriedly. "No, no! I'm a good boy, remember?"

She grinned and shook her head.

They trod carefully upon the soil in the Hills of Humanity and finally reached an area where pieces of dirt didn't cry 'ouch!' under their feet.

Mae leaned in close to Kurama as they walked and whispered, "Do you hear that?"

He looked immediately on his guard, "Hear what?"

She took in a deep breath and exhaled on a euphoric sigh. "Silence…"

He smiled and let out the breath he'd been holding. "Nice, isn't it?"

"Mmm-hmmm," she nodded.

For once, when they made camp (they had re-located for the night, feeling too awkward sleeping next to talking things) nothing bad happened.

They had already eaten, so all they had to do was smooth the sheets out and go to sleep.

No one was tired, however, and they sat around a fire talking into the wee hours of the morning, enjoying the chirp of the crickets, and the twinkling stars overhead.

Ruki began to nod off, then jerk up again, then repeat the process until finally her head, half asleep, found something firm to rest on: Hiei. Her blond hair splayed over his shoulder like a delicate, rice paper fan.

Unlike her peaceful face, his was the epitome of tense. His eyes kept glancing at her awkwardly, and he didn't know what to do about it.

Mae grinned over the flames. "How sweet. Hiei made a friend," she cooed wryly.

He glared at her, but she continued to grin back.

Sighing heavily, Hiei scooped up the snoozing blond and carried her over to her sheet. He set her down gently and flitted up to the tree overhead without another word.

Suspended up in the branches, the fire demon watched the girl for a long time; noting how her expressions changed while she dreamt, and aware of every toss and turn; every little sigh.

Something was happening to him, and this girl was the cause of it. He didn't like it at all. Not one bit.

Groundwards, Yusuke and Kuwabara were playing cards while Mae yawned and stretched her arms overhead.

"I'm going to call it a night guys," she smiled, then walked over to where her sister slept and sinking down beside her, falling asleep almost instantly.

Fifteen minutes later, with drooping eyelids, Kurama joined her. His slumber was quick and…stimulating.

He was standing at the shore of the water-maiden's lake, waiting for something, he knew, but not what for.

Then, with a gentle splash, the one he was waiting so patiently for rose out of the cool water, glistening in the soft moonlight. She wore her pale nightgown and naught else. Her auburn hair fell in loose waves down her spine; Mae.

She walked to him slowly, tantalizingly, coming to a halt directly in front of him, her toes touching his, and smiled warmly up at him.

Her face looked so soft, so vulnerable in the starlight; without thinking he reached out and caressed her damp cheek.

She shivered. "I'm cold."

He obligingly drew her closer and stroked his hands soothingly down her back. "Better?"

She nodded and rested her head on his chest with a sigh.

He tilted her chin up with one finger and-

Woke up.

The fire had died and everyone was dead asleep.

It was Mae who had woken him, he realized. By accident. She was mumbling something incoherent in her sleep, and she was frowning.

He sighed and propped himself up on one elbow to look at her. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked softly, brushing back a stray lock of hair from her face, careful not to wake her.

He realized what he was doing, and what he had _wanted_ to do to her in his dream, and froze.

Frowning at his own lack of discipline, he turned harshly away and clenched his fists, willing himself to fall back into a dreamless sleep.


	7. Chapter 7: clearing things up

-1I would like to thank my first ever reviewer (you know who you are)! Another author on this site offered her reviewers cookies, so if I had any cookies and could magically transport them through the internet, you would have LOTS of cookies! THANK YOU!!

And I don't own YYH, nor will I in the future, I'm fairly certain, so consider this my disclaimers for all remaining chapters I have yet to write.

Mae rose in the morning, shivering and alone. She cast around for Kurama, but he was nowhere to be found.

Puzzling over his absence, she dressed and ate a quick breakfast before he finally emerged from the forest, looking grim.

The minute he saw her, he turned away and busied himself with packing up camp.

She raised an eyebrow, but helped Ruki fold their sheet without reply, assuming he was just having a bad day.

But Mae began to grow concerned when he stayed as far away from her on the journey that afternoon as possible, rather than walking at her side as usual.

Later, when she asked him questions and tried to begin conversations, he would respond with only 'yes' or no', and eventually, his scowl deepened to the point where Mae got upset and refused to talk to him as well, which came as a relief to him.

When the group stopped to make lunch, Mae decided to take action.

Waiting until his back was turned, and thus, his guard was down, she seized his wrist and pulled him off into the forest unseen.

"Mae-" he protested wearily.

"No. We're going to discuss this," Mae said patiently, pulling him persistently along.

"There isn't anything to-" he argued stubbornly.

"Yes there is!" Mae declared, coming to a clearing and dropping his hand. "What _is_ your problem?" she demanded, turning on him like a predator does particularly rebellious prey; like it's personal.

Kurama glowered at her, then in one swift move, tugged her to him by her collar and pressed his lips to hers in a searing kiss.

He pulled back after a moment, his eyes a deep forest green, "_That's_ what's wrong!" he rasped, panting.

He turned on his heel and walked a few paces away to put some distance between them, lest he lose control and kiss her again. Or more.

Mae took a wobbly step forward and sucked in a slow breath, as if taking a drag on a cigarette. A few more steps. She was facing him.

"I don't see anything wrong with it," she whispered huskily. She stood on tiptoe and captured his face for another kiss. He smelled glorious.

He sighed and returned it, surrendering to the affection he'd harbored secretly for too long. Reveling in the silk of her skin under his hands.

Meanwhile, hiding in a nearby shrub, a demon spied greedily on the two reunited lovers.

"Well, _well_, if mother hasn't found a new distraction…" a deep, pondering voice poised, amused, "must've been lonely without my father," he chuckled.

His father, the king of thieves Youko Kurama, had obviously died valiantly, fighting till the end, just as he, Kuri, would somedayAllhe wanted was to be like his long-lost father.

And he would be the minute he seized control of the underworld. All he had left to do before all came crumbling down for the good-guys was to defeat the team that the joke Koenma had sent to stop him. Even his mommy was on board. He spat scornfully on the soil beside him. "Bitch…"

Mae pulled back suddenly and stood very still. "Did you hear that?"

"I didn't hear anything," Kurama shook his head.

"Hmm…odd…" she frowned, still uneasy, "We should head back before the others worry."

Kurama nodded and took her hand before leading the way out of the foliage.

Kuri laughed wickedly. "You'll be the first to go, mother-dearest. You and your new pet."

Back at camp, Ruki was boiling some tea.

Yusuke and Kuwabara were playing football with a knotted up shirt, while Hiei sat near the fire sharpening his sword.

Ruki bent down to pluck the kettle off the coals, when the shirt (which they had dipped in the nearby river to make heavier) hit her square in the chest, startling her, and causing her to jump and spill the boiling water down her front.

She cried out in agony, her nerves jumping and sizzling up and down her ribs.

Hiei looked up immediately, and was at her side in seconds. He quickly saw what had happened. Casting the most disapproving glare he had in his power to Yusuke and Kuwabara, who were looking shocked and pale, he took the shaking girl by the shoulders and led her to a nearby log to sit on. "Take off your shirt before it sticks to your skin," he ordered gruffly.

Ruki, though gasping in pain, managed to swat him soundly upside the head. "No!"

Hiei, never being one for patience, decided to take things into his own hands. Catching a fistful of white cotton t-shirt in his fist, he yanked it up and over her head. "I've dealt with burns before, fool. You need to dress it, or it won't heal," he told her, some of the bitterness dropping out of his voice when he saw the angry red splash on her creamy skin.

Her face was even redder, he also noticed. If he hadn't saw that face, he wouldn't have had to look, but he couldn't help himself. It's like people who come out of their houses to look at a person being lifted into an ambulance. He glimpsed her lacy black bra, and a portion of what was being contained within, and felt his mouth go dry.

He quickly turned away so she wouldn't see him drooling at her, and threw off his cloak.

Her eyes widened. "What are you _doing_?" she asked in panic, thinking only the worst. Except she wasn't sure if she thought it was the worst or the best…

He looked at her deliberately, annoyed, as he tore the cloth around the hem and dipped it in chilled water at the river. He returned and pulled her nearer him by her elbows, wrapping the black once-cloak around her ribs and waist carefully.

Ruki tried to slow her heart, which was ticking away at a good five thousand miles per hour, in vain. Her face was still tinted crimson, and her chin was trembling (and not out of pain or tears).

Hiei noticed her distress, and assumed it was agony that drove her to such discomfort. "If you don't calm yourself, these burns might bleed, and won't heal as quickly," he attempted, not sure how to go about comforting someone, never having had use for such things before now.

She looked at him blankly.

He sighed. "Stay still and take deep breaths, little idiot," he clarified.

She nodded, but she wasn't very efficient at taking orders, and continued to shake and hyperventilate. Instead, she lingered on the 'little idiot' comment, and how his voice had softened when he'd spoken it.

She couldn't help it. Her skin burned everywhere he touched her. It distracted her from the aching skin he was wrapping. His fire was a pleasant one.

He wrapped his arms around her to reach her spine, where the fabric ended, to tie a knot, then regretted it. He found his face not an inch from hers. And all he wanted to do, with every fiber of his being, was to touch that lush mouth. To feel its softness beneath his skin.

Her breathing became ragged, and her eyes were half-lidded.

"Ruki!" a voice cried from behind them.

They both leapt up in the air, putting as much distance as possible between them.

Mae and Kurama were looking at the pair suspiciously, amused.

"What have you been up to?" Mae sneered.

"Keeping busy, I see," Kurama added.

Hiei growled. "I was dressing the burns she acquired thanks to those two blockheads."

Mae blinked and frowned. "What?"

"We were just playing football, and the ball slipped and hit Ruki, and she spilt her tea," Kuwabara explained quickly, obviously suffering immense guilt.

"How bad is it, Ruki?" Kurama asked, concerned.

"Not that bad. I'm kind of numb right now," Ruki said hoarsely.

"Well, snuggling does that to people," Mae grinned.

Mae's eyes grew huge. "We were _not_ snuggling! Hiei was WRAPPING SOMETHING COLD AROUND THE BURNS!" she cried.

Kurama and Mae just coughed.

"I'm serious!" Ruki insisted.

"If you say so, sis," Mae smiled.

Her sister narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Hey, where were _you two_?"

That shut them up.

"What are you talking about?" Kurama asked calmly. His years of thieving had made him a pretty skillful liar, but not talented enough to fool Ruki-dar.

"I noticed the both of you missing this afternoon. I looked for you," she added for Mae.

"Just clearing up a few things," Kurama answered with a small smile, which Mae mirrored.

Ruki blinked, astonished at the look in the fox's eyes, and decided to drop it.

"I'll leave you to finish where I left off," Hiei muttered to Mae, pointing to her sister's back where the bandage was still untied, and flitting off to a nearby tree, passing Yusuke and Kuwabara on the way and purposely glaring heavily at the two of them.

They shuddered.


	8. Chapter 8:  Kuri

-1Hello! I, very sunburned and disheveled, would like to apologize to those of you (if there are more than one of you. I wouldn't know because NO ONE REVIEWS!) who wondered where the plot went last chapter. I know it got a bit mushy and all of that, but I _did_ specify this story as a **romance**. I will _try_ to remain on-topic this time (but if I don't, review anyway because you want me to eventually finish this story!)

I STILL don't own anything related with YYH, other than some comic books. Don't sue me, or steal Mae, Ruki, Kuri, or my talking trees, as they actually DO belong to me. Thank you.

The team set out once again after Ruki was healed and they had fed, heading for Lunar Rock, where Kuri was legend to hide in between his spurts of destruction.

Hiei was having great difficulty concentrating on where he was going, as his mind was still filled with images of Ruki topless. Such patterns had him all but salivating on the trail.

He wondered distantly why she had been so adamant earlier when Mae had teased them about cuddling, or snuggling, or whatever the girl had said. Did she find him repulsive? Or were her actions indicative of mutual feelings?

And when she had asked him what he was doing when he took off his cape; her eyes had grown so wide, and her face had drained of all color. What did she think he was going to do?

He looked up and saw Mae and Kurama immediately ahead of him, holding hands furtively, and he finally realized what had flashed through Ruki's mind when he had disrobed. She had thought he was going to…

He felt slightly faint. On his word, he'd never been so flustered as he was at that moment.

"Hiei?" an all-too familiar voice asked worriedly beside him, throwing him off guard.

He looked to her, still speechless.

"Are you alright? You don't look so good," Ruki asked, resting a hand on his arm gently.

He nodded only because he figured he had a fifty-fifty percent chance that it would be the right answer, not having heard a word of what she had said.

"Are you sure? You don't have to act all indestructible and all, you know," she whispered in his ear, sending shivers down his spine.

It took him a few seconds to register what she'd said, and when he did, he was less than happy. "I'm fine," he snapped, "If I wasn't, I would leave." His words came out too sharply, he realized, because she cringed.

"Sorry," she muttered, turning to walk a bit ahead.

On a heavy sigh, he captured her arm and shook his head. "You didn't do anything wrong, fool."

She smiled sympathetically. "Then why are you so cross?"

"Oh, he's just like that. Don't worry, you get used to it," Kuwabara chipped in ahead of them.

She frowned. "Why do you think that?"

Kuwabara just sent her an incredulous look over his shoulder.

She shrugged and kept silent for the rest of the journey.

They arrived at the base of Lunar Rock two hours later, having met no opposition whatsoever. Eerily so.

"Is it like him to wish to deal with us personally?" Kurama asked softly.

"Very much so. He wants to be like you; or like you used to be…" Mae nodded.

"He _knew _about me?" Kurama asked, surprised.

Mae nodded once. "One day, out of the blue, he asked me who his father was, and I told him. Then he asked where you were, and I told him you were dead. As far as he knows, his father died sixteen years ago."

"So he won't recognize me?"

"Not unless your hair suddenly goes white and your eyes turn gold," Mae smiled.

"Did you tell him what I did for a living?" Kurama asked uneasily.

"He asked…" Mae winced. "Now that I think of it, that probably wasn't one of my better judgments…" she laughed.

Kurama looked tense, and didn't reply. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze to reassure her he wasn't upset at her, and pressed on silently.

"What d'you think's goin' on with them?" Kuwabara asked in a whisper to Yusuke, noticing the small gesture of affection.

"They're going off to kill their son. I think they both need a little support," Yusuke guessed.

"Oh…" Kuwabara nodded.

Behind them, Hiei and Ruki both rolled their eyes in irritation.

All of a sudden, Mae stopped in her tracks and gasped.

"What is it, Mae?" Kurama asked quickly.

"I can sense his aura! He's close. Up the incline twenty paces more, and to the right!" Mae announced.

"He's trying to lure us to his den," Kurama guessed.

Mae looked momentarily impressed. "You know him already."

He shook his head grimly. "I know myself. This was a technique I used in my bandit days. Be on your guard. There will be a drop," he warned the others.

And right on cue, twenty paces up and to the right, Ruki stepped into a masked tunnel, crying out before sliding swiftly out of sight.

Hiei followed without hesitation, then Mae, Kurama, Kuwabara, and Yusuke.

The tunnel was dark and steep. None of them had any idea where it led, but Kurama guessed spikes. Or spears. Or a dungeon where they would starve.

The tunnel dipped severely down, and opened to a large open cave, free of spikes and spears, he was relieved to discover.

Ruki climbed to her feet and helped the others to do the same.

Mae's face abruptly turned sour when she straightened and glanced ahead of them. "Kuri."

The others looked to where she was glaring tight-lipped.

Kurama's heart dropped. For some reason, this entire time, some small part of him had thought that perhaps the child hadn't been his. But looking at the teenaged demon standing ahead of them, there was no room for doubt.

Kuri was tall, though not quite as tall as his father yet, with silvery hair that fell in his face and reached his chin. His eyes were almost identical to Youko's, only a slightly deeper shade of gold, like Mae's, and more rounded with youth. He was lean, not yet very muscular, but his confidence made one forget about that.

He smiled harshly, baring his fangs that would fall out when he came of age. "Mother." his voice was slick and spiteful. "How good of you to come. I wondered if you would _ever_ arrive."

Mae glared.

"As you can see, I've brought you all to my lair to finish this little disagreement," he continued. "Which one of you would like to die first?"

"There are six of us against one of you, nephew. Resistance is futile," Ruki shook her head pleadingly. She didn't want to kill her nephew if Mae and Kurama couldn't.

"My father wouldn't think so," Kuri smiled proudly.

"You are nothing like your father," Mae spat.

"What was that?" Kuri asked in a dangerously calm voice.

"I said, you are _nothing_ like your father!" Mae repeated.

Kuri looked livid. "Be quiet, you little harlot! What would father think if he knew you were running off with that _boy_?" he retorted.

"He wouldn't mind," Mae said with a sneer.

Kuri looked at her like she was insane. "I will not hear you babbling like a lunatic. I'm far too indebted to you to let you live as an invalid."

Mae realized that despite her son's obvious disdain, she still loved him. He was still her baby. She couldn't do it. She couldn't kill her own son.

But he could kill her, it seemed. She got an idea…


	9. Chapter 9:  Youko returns

-1Alright, it's getting down to the last few chapters. I really _do_ want reviews, you know. I wasn't just kidding about that. Is this because I made it clear that I have no cookies to give you? Is it?!

Disclaimer: I own absolutely _nothing_ that could get me sued, okay?

Mae stepped forward. "I didn't think I would have to do this, Kuri, but I do. You can't keep doing this."

"Oh, but I can. And I will," he smiled wickedly.

"But _why? _What's the point?" she asked.

"To make father proud," the boy replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Mae ran a hand through her hair exasperatedly. "I think I was a little unclear when I told you about Youko, son…" she sighed regretfully.

"It wouldn't have mattered. I asked around in the underworld. They told me all I needed to know," Kuri sneered.

Kurama became extremely fascinated by the ceiling at the suspicious stares from his fellows.

"You brought this on yourself," Mae said firmly.

Kuri rolled his eyes.

What he didn't think of was that he'd never seen his mother fight. He didn't know how strong she was, or what she could do. He'd never really cared to ask, being preoccupied with his father-search.

She hunched her shoulders and exhaled a lingering, ghostly breath, vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

"Come out, come out, mother!" Kuri called, amused.

"Boo," a voice rasped behind him, pressing something cold to his throat.

He gasped, off guard. Then, collecting himself, he conjured vines through the stone floor and wound them around her ankles.

She laughed, her breath whistling around his face. Then, more smoke, and she was gone, his green manacles useless. A shadow demon, he realized. Unable to contain.

She reappeared before him, solemn. "You have one chance to change your mind," she offered gravely.

"I don't take chances," Kuri said at once.

"Suit yourself," she hissed out a breath, and was gone once more.

"Is this how you intend to defeat me, mother? By playing hide-and-seek?" Kuri asked, amused. "I lost interest for that game when I was ten, have you forgotten?"

"You would do well to hide, boy," Mae rattled eerily from the shadows.

"Really?" he asked smugly, making no move to do any such thing.

"Really," Mae nodded before appearing as a shadow on the floor beside his own. With a sure motion, she ran it through with a shadow-dagger.

His shadow collapsed, and then disappeared.

He gasped, feeling as if an organ was just cut out, and sank to his knees.

He didn't realize Mae had reappeared and was standing directly in front of him until she spoke. "Without one's shadow, one is not whole. Their presence is weaker, not strong enough to even change the light. Your arrogance will be your downfall, Kuri."

With a mighty yell, Kuri unexpectedly lunged forward and plunged a knife into Mae's stomach.

She gasped, then choked and collapsed, her eyes open and glassy.

"Mae!" Kurama cried, rushing forward, but being halted by his own mistake. Kuri.

"Not to worry. Soon enough, you'll be joining her. In _hell_," he smirked, lingering on the last word like it was sweet chocolate on his tongue.

Kurama threw him back against the wall. "You just _murdered_ your own _mother_!" he yelled disgustedly.

"I know," Kuri said with a smile.

"You are not your father's son," Kurama said icily, his voice dripping with hatred.

"And how would you know?" Kuri asked defensively.

"You're looking at him," Kurama explained flatly.

Kuri looked furious. "How _dare _you even _try_ to-?"

"You were conceived by accident. I was poisoned the next morning, and almost died from it, so I fled to the human world to take up this form," he explained. Even as he spoke, he wondered why he bothered. Perhaps he thought he owed it to his only child. That and nothing more.

"Why should I believe you?" Kuri asked.

Kurama grinned garishly, as if he were possessed by satan himself, then the room was shrouded in thick smoke.

Kuri glanced around from side to side quickly, like an animal caught in a trap. "You playing hide and seek, too?"

As the swirls of gray dispersed to the walls, Kuri saw his father, the legendary bandit Youko Kurama standing before him, looking evil and ready to attack.

Kuri's eyes bulged and his face paled. A moment later, after he had realized what his true father had said about him, he looked slightly mad. Disturbed.

"I nearly died once to save my own human mother," Youko said slowly, his eyes never leaving Kuri, who was now looking frightened. "She was ill. I used the Forlorn Hope to revive her. At the cost of my own life. Luckily, I survived, but it wouldn't have mattered; I would have done it anyway. You say you wish to be like me, but you just killed your mother…" he said, casting a pained glance to Mae. "Before I was worried I wouldn't be able to kill you…" he looked to his son, "but that won't be a problem anymore," he finished, not a hint of doubt in his calm voice.

Kuri gulped. "Youko! No! You should be proud of me! You should _love_ me! You should _join_ me!" he shrieked.

Youko drew his rose whip in reply. "The only thing I would join you in is death," he spat scornfully.

Kuri glowered at the father who was not who he thought he was. "Fine, then. It'll _be_ this way!" he summoned two swords of leaves, and got into a fighter's stance.

Ruki stepped forward to protest, but Hiei held her back.

"This is between them, now."

She opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head. "I won't lose you to this."

Not a word was spoken between them after that, but Ruki found his hand and clasped it tightly.

Father and son circled each other, weapons drawn, pasts tied.

Youko's golden eyes kept flooding with images of Mae; laughing, smiling, crying. He remembered the feel of her skin, and the press of her lips; the way her body felt when she snuggled next to him in sleep. She couldn't be dead. She just couldn't. He needed her.

"What's the matter, father? Lovesick?" Kuri taunted.

"Yes," he struck, cracking his whip and lancing Kuri in the shoulder. The wound was deep, and blood seeped onto the cold floor like sacred dye.

Kuri gasped in pain and grimaced. "Bastard!"

Kurama nearly smiled at the absurdity of that statement. "Calling the kettle black, aren't we?"

Kuri glared daggers, but Youko wasn't impressed. He meant to summon a whirlwind of razor-petals, but hesitated. As much as he despised the creature before him, he couldn't bring him to a painful death. Instead, he conjured a deadly vetch seed, one of his favorites, as a last favor to his delusional son. Perhaps the association would make his passing easier.

He felt the small shell of the seed in his clenched fist.


	10. Chapter 10: Boulder Bonding

-1Okay, guys, I'm really sorry I haven't updated in so long (it's been forever!) I've been in the hospital! I was so freaked out because they had to hook me up to an IV (and I have a needle phobia! Not good!), and I'm starving because of that crappy hospital food, and I think I must've got the modern equivalent of nurse ratchet! If I never see applesauce again, it will be too soon is all I have to say…

Anyway, I've kept you waiting long enough! ON WITH THE STORY!!!

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH, or anything except a new hospital toothbrush (ick) and some medications I can't pronounce properly.

The shining shell of a deathly vetch seed was clutched firmly in Youko's clammy palm. Much to his dismay, a deadly coma had stolen his reason. He was no longer calling the shots, but some inner force. An energy that propelled him forward, to he knew-not where. Perhaps his mind had deliberately shut off so he wouldn't have to face the horror of killing his own offspring.

But then he saw Mae, curled up, unmoving, unbreathing on the stone floor, and he knew the real reason his mind was blank. He had grown so used to her, so endeared to her. He hadn't even realized he'd fallen in love with her. And now she was gone, and he was alone with the body who killed her, that was all that mattered.

He shifted the seed between his long fingers, ready to strike.

"WAIT!!!" came a shrill command from above the fox's bowed head.

He looked sharply up to find Koenma floating in midair beside Botan, floating on her oar obediently. The little prince's dinky hand was flung out in front of his face, and his eyes were round and desperate.

"Don't do it! Don't kill him, Kurama, we need him!" the little lord ordered with a grimace.

For a moment, Youko thought to disregard the little tyrant's orders and finish Kuri off properly, but, out of curiosity, he waited for the prince to explain.

"You passed the talking boulder?"

That was the last question the fox had expected, and left him just as puzzled, if not more so, than before. "yes…" he answered slowly.

"And do you recall the stump that sat next to her?" the little ruler asked.

"Y'mean, that was a GIRL?!" Kuwabara asked loudly, drawing the attention of everyone in the room, who were for once wondering the same thing he was.

Koenma seemed irritated. "Of course she was a girl! She's my sister!" he cried.

The room gave one collective gasp. Even Kuri, who had also passed the boulder in passing.

"She used to be quite beautiful, for your information," Koenma sniffed.

Growing annoyed with the stagnant conversation, Youko scowled and asked, "Is there any relevancy whatsoever to this?"

"Oh, right!" the prince raised a finger, "the stump was burnt down by this dragon who was passing for some reason, and the rock is lonely." He peered around as if that should explain everything.

None of them had the slightest clue what he was talking about.

"What do you want, Kuri to be chained to your sister, the rock, to keep her company as his sentence?" Ruki asked exasperatedly. She was silently thrilled when she noticed Hiei's cheek lift in a small smile.

"Of course not! We keep our most dangerous cases in those meadows, trapped and disguised as nature. My sister was a wanted felon, and my father sentenced her to exile as a rock in the meadow of Humanity. Kuri will be sent to keep my sister company, and disguised as another tree, only we won't chop him down unless he's a disobedient shrub."

"And do you extend this sort of courtesy to all of your convicts?" Hiei asked wryly.

Koenma looked immediately defensive. "My father wants to keep my sister as happy as possible in her confinement!" he snapped.

For the first time, Kuri spoke up, and his tone was none-too-happy. "I will not become a TREE!" he roared.

"Would you rather die, son?" Youko asked menacingly.

The boy gulped, but glared all the same. "Would you?" He wasn't quite as deadly as his father, and he knew it.

"I would have enough sense to be afraid of me, Kuri," he spat his son's name for the first time. It tasted bitter on his lips.

Without any further warning, the boy turned on his heel and darted off into the blackness of the shadows to hide. Some tree he would make!

Unfortunately, he had fallen into his mother's trap. Mae, knowing that she couldn't possibly kill her son on her own, had feigned death to prevent such a choice from being made, knowing Kurama would be horrified at his son's wretched behavior. And unfortunately for said wretched son, her affection for the boy had faded exponentially when he had made the choice to kill her. Or try to, anyway.

Her shadow flickered and slid silently to where he hid, shaking. Noticing the frown on his beaded brow, and the slight shake of his shoulders, she knew he was running out of ideas.

It was then, with a mighty yell and a pounding leap, that she chose to strike. She leapt onto his shoulders, detaching herself from the wall, and wrenched his chin back until he looked her in the eye. His pupils were dilated and his face was perspiring. "I hope you find the boulder to your taste, Kuri," she breathed coldly.

"Mae?" Youko's gruff voice called into the darkness. She saw his eyes, large and weary in the distance, and they were soon the only things she saw. She loved him. It hit her like a stone.

"You blew your chance," she taunted her son wickedly, smiling to herself.

"Don't I always?" he muttered darkly as he surrendered to the inevitable. It was time for him to recognize the consequences.

Koenma bound him with spirit chains and left Mae and Youko to themselves.

Said fox immediately rushed to the darkness where he had heard her speak and felt around for her. She reached out a hand to take his gently, and smiled, even though he couldn't see her. She explained to him what she had done quickly, not even pausing for something as silly as a breath.

For a moment, he was silent. Then, he abruptly pulled her into his arms and glared furiously down at her, and being a shadow-demon, she could see in the dark. "Don't you ever do that to me again!" he said fiercely before planting a punishing kiss on her, and not stopping until he thought she had been adequately reprimanded.

She pulled back with a small smile curving her lips and tugged at a lock of his silvery hair.

He understood what she was saying, and began to transform back into Kurama.

Soon, green eyes stared deeply into hers, and had softened slightly. "I thought you were…" he didn't finish the statement, and she didn't need him to.

She cupped the back of his head and kissed him properly, fully convinced when she was finished that he knew she wasn't dead. Not even close.

Two days later, after paying Kuri a visit in his new home beside a coquettish rock and scolding him with a furious passion, the gang returned to Koenma's castle. He made a nice tree, all rustly and bark-covered. Mae nearly laughed all the way home, and made a mental note to bring a camera the next time she paid a visit, just to remind him to be a good boy when he was released.

"Well, gang, job well done!" Koenma complimented over the glossed top of his desk. Mae wondered idly if that wood didn't look familiar. Perhaps that's how they furnished the castle: wait until a convict becomes too unruly, then chop him up and shape him into a lovely armoire. She recoiled from the chair she sat upon and chose to stand for the remainder of the meeting.

She had stayed near Kurama on their journey back, but they hadn't spoken of what would become of them after the mission was over. After they returned to the castle. She wanted to stay with him. Wanted to spend the rest of her life happily. And he made her gloriously happy.

They were dismissed, and all walked into the hall. Yusuke hurried off, muttering something about having to get back and report to Keiko, Kuwabara was distracted when Yukina walked by suddenly, and followed her like a clumsy puppy, and Ruki and Hiei were standing idly by the door.

Someone took her hand, and she didn't have to look up to know it was Kurama. He smiled back at her and led the way toward the door.

She dug in her heels, not caring that her sister and Hiei were overhearing this, or that ogres were watching curiously in all directions.

He turned to her curiously and raised a brow in question.

"Stay," she pleaded. It was one word, but he got her point, and didn't tease her by acting dumb about it.

Clearing his throat, he leaned close to her ear and breathed, "I was going to ask _you_ to stay when we reached to door." He chuckled softly into her hair.

She gaped at him for a moment, resentful that all her worry had been for nothing, but euphoric that he had just, through devious routes, accepted her offer.

"And I thought we might return to the house where all this began." he continued mildly.

She nodded, and gave a watery smile before casting a glance back to her sister and Hiei, watching in rapt fascination. "We should go," she laughed, draping an arm around his waist, as he slid one over her shoulder. And they did. Back to Mae's first home in the middle of the forest where everything started. If not for that place, they might not have made it to where they were now.

Hiei, in the meantime, was eyeing Ruki warily. Her face was purple once more, and he had learned that that lead to-

"WAAAAAHHHHH!" she wailed, tears splashing down her cheeks.

"Shouldn't you be happy for your sister?" he snapped, masking his indecision. He had no idea how to comfort her still.

"I 'sniff' am! I j-just 'sniff' am 'sniff' overcome!" she finished with no small effort.

He frowned and realized they were the last two on the floor, and would eventually have to leave.

She did, too. In fact, she was dreading it as much as he was.

"Well, 'sniff' g-good b-bye, 'sniff' Hiei," she sobbed, wiping her eyes as she stalked down the long hallway.

"Aren't you staying?" he asked quietly, looking at her retreating figure through the corner of his eye, keeping his face down. Would this be the last time he looked upon her? The final chance he got to take in her lovely face?

She stilled. "I didn't think so."

His breath caught in his chest as he digested what she had said. She was going. "I see."

"No one asked me to," she explained with a small sniff.

Hiei's heart did an odd flip, similar to when she had first bid him goodnight so long ago. There was still time. "Consider yourself invited."

She straightened and whirled around to face him at last. "Do you mean it? You're not just guilty because of my sister- oh, wait. You're not like that." she shook her head slightly.

"I mean it." he nodded with a crooked smile.

Suddenly, she gave a giant sigh and relaxed her shoulders, uttering "thank god!" before flinging herself into his arms.

He held her tightly, then pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Ruki didn't think, out of all of the boyfriends she had ever had, that any had done something so sweet.

"I guess you'll be staying?" he asked, amused.

She nodded and laughed, and together they left the castle, off to a new and much brighter future.

Epilogue:

Kurama and Mae eventually married (Ruki was the maid of honor), and visit Kuri the tree every month. He's getting better. And he's got a big crush on Ms. Boulder. Koenma's not happy about that one though. His sister falling for a con. Ha!

Ruki and Hiei are living together in the underworld (they made a tree house to live in so Hiei would be comfortable).

Botan and Koenma are married and expecting their first daughter in June.

Ta da! After all the wait, it's over! I hope you're happy with the ending (I know the tree house thing is a bit much, but what can I say?). Thank you so much for your support, and I hope to write another soon (and this time I hope _not_ to visit the hospital!)

I'll be gone in Thailand for the next long while, but I'm fairly certain I'll have internet access there, and will be able to write often! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I wouldn't have done this without you!


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